SOUTH BEND — It had been a minute.
Fourteen years have passed since a current or former Notre Dame basketball player last represented USA Basketball in international competition. On Friday, three former Irish ― power forwards Zach Auguste (2016 graduate) and Jack Cooley (2013) and point guard Jerian Grant (2015) ― were selected to represent the United States later this month.
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The three are among 12 members of the USA team for the 2025 FIBA Men’s AmeriCup, held August 22-31 in Managua, Nicaragua. The team will be coached by former NBA head coach Stephen Silas.
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It marks the first time since 2011 that a Notre Dame basketball player was selected to take part in USA Basketball. That year, former Irish swingman Tim Abromaitis repped USA Basketball at the World University Games in China.
Incoming freshman Jalen Haralson, whose next Irish game will be his first, was a member of the USA U17 World Cup junior squad in 2024. Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry has served on staff of Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd the last two summers with USA Basketball. The U19 won gold in July in Switzerland.
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Training camp begins Wednesday in Miami in the run-up to the games, which start for the United States on August 23 against the Bahamas.
The FIBA Men’s AmeriCup has been held biennially since 1993. The U.S. has won seven golds.
Auguste (Mikawa) and Cooley (Ryukyu), played professionally in Japan last season. Grant played for Panathinaikos in Greece, where he signed in spring through the 2027-28 season.
The 32-year-old Auguste, a native of Marlborough, Massachusetts, averaged 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals for Mikawa. Undrafted out of Notre Dame, he has played for five teams in five countries over the last six seasons.
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Cooley, who turned 34 in April, has played professionally in Japan since 2019. The Glenview, Illinois native spent parts of two NBA seasons (23 games) with the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz. He played a career-high 68 games last season for Ryukyu, where he averaged 12.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He also had 24 double doubles for points and rebounds.
Cooley once set an NBA G League single-game record with 29 rebounds.
The 32-year-old Grant averaged 7.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in Greece. A Bowie, Maryland native, Grant is the last Irish to earn All-American honors (2015 first team) and be a first-round NBA draft pick (2015, New York Knicks).
The three former Irish are among five team members making their USA basketball debuts.
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Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame basketball has not always been synonymous with USA basketball
